STICKS AND STONES

I'm pleased to introduce a new body of work titled “Sticks and Stones.”

This series began as a lament over the deterioration in the tone of public discourse in our nation, but it evolved into a broader exploration of the impact – for good and for ill – of words within all expressions of human relationship. 

Work on the series has included a search for quotes, from scripture and beyond, that invite reflection on the power words have to shape attitudes and provoke action, on the responsibility we have to steward that power with compassion and care, and on the realization that even our most casual uses of words can and do affect others in profound and enduring ways.

Sticks and stones may break my bones,

but words can never hurt me.

While this adage, burned into our psyches from a young age, may be a catchy phrase, it simply does not ring true. In every season and circumstance, how we use words matters deeply.

Work on this collection began by collaging repurposed paper (bibles, hymnals, magazines, dictionary pages, maps, etc.) to form a background that was then painted in such a way that visibilty of the papers are faintly visible. I then added images of sticks and stones, relevant quotations, charcoal accents, and paint splatters. Exploring new materials, techniques, and styles was fruitful and gratifying. This work was created using a collage technique that begins with has not only led me to explore a new thematic emphasis but has also prompted me to explore new materials, processes, and styles. This fruitful and gratifying work is informing future explorations.

Sticks and Stones will first be exhibited December 1-31, 2022, in the gallery at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church in Indianapolis. If you are in the area, I hope you’ll stop by to view the work. If you’re not, click HERE for some sense of what you’ll be missing.

ROADS TO RECONCILIATION

I’m pleased to be involved in the planning of Roads to Reconciliation, a juried exhibition that will feature work by Indiana artists who identify as Black, Indigenous, or Persons of Color (BIPOC), as well as artists from my home congregation, St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church. Work selected for inclusion in the exhibition will be displayed in the Parish Hall August 13 – 28, 2022.

I’m also honored to serve as a juror for the exhibition, along with: Stephanie Lewis Robertson, Program Chair for Fine Arts at Ivy Tech Community College, Central Indiana region, who holds an MFA (1994, University of Georgia) and a BFA (1981, Miami University) in Fabric Design, is a teaching artist with Arts for Learning of Indiana and a regional community arts advocate. Anthony Radford is an artist and arts educator who for many years headed the Art Reach program at the Indianapolis Art Center and in 1988 founded the annual “Meet the Artists” exhibition at the Central Indianapolis Public Library (now one of the largest exhibitions in the Midwest). Both Stephanie and Anthony have a passion for advancing the work of talented BIPOC artists living, working, and creating in Indiana.

The opening event for the Roads to Reconciliation exhibition is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, August 13, following the congregation’s annual commemoration of Jonathan Daniels, an Episcopal seminarian and civil rights activist who was murdered on August 20, 1965, in Haynesville, Ala., while shielding 17-year-old Ruby Sales from a shotgun-wielding special county deputy.

The Roads to Reconciliation exhibition complements the ongoing work of the congregation’s Dismantling Racism Team, which included a June pilgrimage to the National Underground Railroad Museum in Cincinnati, Ohio; the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Ala.; the Legacy and Justice Museum in Montgomery, Ala., and the National Memorial for Peace and Justice, also in Montgomery. The exhibition and pilgrimage reflect the congregation’s ongoing commitment to dismantling racism in ourselves and our community.

SACRED THREADS

I’m delighted to have my work, “Breaking Dawn," included in the 2022 Sacred Threads exhibition, July 14-24, at Floris United Methodist Church in Herndon, VA. My work was also selected for inclusion in the 40-piece Sacred Threads traveling collection, which is scheduled to tour to venues through 2024.

Learn more about Sacred Threads HERE.

FROM CRADLE TO GRAVE

I’m pleased that my work, “Seasons: The Cycle of Life,” will be included in Cradle to Grave, an invitational exhibition at the Korean Fiber Forum, in the Suwon Museum at Art Space Gwanggyo.

My work uses Korean script, known as hangul, to depict the four seasons of nature. Reflecting a palette of colors traditionally associated with life and death, the work features elements created using hanji, a technique for manipulating paper to achieve a cloth-like consistency. I'm grateful to the Rev. David Susan, who assisted me in envisioning a design consistent with the theme and respectful of Korean culture.

After the exhibition concludes in South Korea, the work will be exhibited by the Louisville Area Fiber and Textile Artists at a venue to be determined.